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Media mergers: Good or bad?
- Thread starter jdileo
- Start date
R
rapking
Guest
AWFUL ! Less competition ruin The Media,The Banks and so on . Ch 56 in Dorchester( and Ch 56 employees) are Gone. 94.5 and 107.9 use to be at war with each other ( Great for the listeners ), Now they are Jamn and kissing each other up in Medford ( YUCK ). No Competition, No Jobs ! Bad for listeners, Buyers and so on. Mergers S-CkS !
D
Dark Knight
Guest
These guys can eloquently fill you in on the down sides to consolidation, but I would encourage you to spend some time at the library researching the economies of scale and other efficiencies that led to these mergers. Some argue that these efficiencies are needed to keep some stations in operation in challenging economic times, but that is probably overstatement in some cases.
In any event, there are pluses and minuses. Generally minus for the rank and file, more of a mixed bag for executives who may get more opportunities if they survive, but will have to prove they deserve one of the fewer remaining chairs in order to do so.
As far as the audience - there is both a homogenization of product and an ability to share resources (BZ news on ch38, 7 News on 56, Sox on EEI and RKO...), so to some extent that cuts both ways too.
Good luck.
In any event, there are pluses and minuses. Generally minus for the rank and file, more of a mixed bag for executives who may get more opportunities if they survive, but will have to prove they deserve one of the fewer remaining chairs in order to do so.
As far as the audience - there is both a homogenization of product and an ability to share resources (BZ news on ch38, 7 News on 56, Sox on EEI and RKO...), so to some extent that cuts both ways too.
Good luck.
Dark Knight said:
Dark, you left one important fact out. Radio was in this position in the past and survived. The reason it seems much worse now is because the new tech has been slowly driving local radio off the cliff for the last 10 years and the top execs and programmers were asleep at the wheel. Stations like Jack, Mike,etc tried to adjust and react to "My Music Programmed My Way" concept but it was a little too late in the game. Now, we're getting Seacrest and other syndication filler(Tom Kent, Donny Osmond,etc) popping around the dial. There will be a lot more local stations adding syndication at night. Suits hope this will help build a stronger brand and identity for terrestrial stations. The jury's still out on that one. Bottom line - old time network radio is knocking on the door out of necessity to compete and survive. Radio has come full circle.
These media mergers are bad for democracy, as it gives enormous power to a select moneyed elite. Those few who wield power over the press control the focus and topics of discussion, often only for short term benefit. Yellow journalism is alive and strong today; the quality of coverage is not what counts, but rather the ratings/ad sales the coverage generates.
Media mergers have led radio to state of mediocrity. Radio lacks fresh content and new ideas. Big radio groups have reduced the talent pool and cut pay. In addition new young talent isn’t being groomed. Big radio cares more about their shareholders than long term relationships with clients. Media mergers were good for Wall Street bankers and a few execs who over time have received multi billion dollar bonuses. Trickle down economics trickled up for a few.
I’ve never seen a time when so many people are unhappy with radio and fear for their jobs. Radio is supposed to be local, but stations are favoring syndicated content.
I’ve never seen a time when so many people are unhappy with radio and fear for their jobs. Radio is supposed to be local, but stations are favoring syndicated content.
I think you have to look at all markets when you paint radio mergers as bad and not at just a major market like Boston. Many stations around the country would be dark right now if it wasn't for the ability of these large companies to be able to move the wealth around from their successful markets to support their less successful ones. I also wonder if the larger talents would be able to secure the salaries they have gotten use too. And as has been mentioned earlier Radio started with many of the largest corporations in the world owning stations and networks of stations many with syndicated programming or simulcasts of large networks shows. So this is nothing new in radio but more like a return to it's past or maybe part of a cycle. Perhaps what happened before is just about to happen again with a big sell off. My only question is with the lack of interest in the medium where most kids don't even own a radio will many of these stations survive without the big corporate machines.
When one company owns 6 stations in a medium-small market, that is bad. Currently, that is allowed, and has been since the "Contract on America" where the Telecommunications Act of 1996" was born. We should go back to the 12-12-12 rule. 12 AM's 12 F<'s 12TV's being the cap for any one company to own.
There are two ways to compete with the newest forms of media:
1) - Sound DIFFERENT than them, by going live and local.
2) - Try to sound like ipods
Wall Street affiliated radio ownership has most often chosen the latter, which in the long-run is deadly. In the short-run it works. But Wall Street type broadcasters only know and love one thing.... how THIS quarter looks financially.
I do predict though, that in time, live and local will return to terrestrial radio becasue it will HAVE to... well at least for about half of it... The rest will be religious stations.
Bottom line. Media mergers good or bad? B-A-D.
There are two ways to compete with the newest forms of media:
1) - Sound DIFFERENT than them, by going live and local.
2) - Try to sound like ipods
Wall Street affiliated radio ownership has most often chosen the latter, which in the long-run is deadly. In the short-run it works. But Wall Street type broadcasters only know and love one thing.... how THIS quarter looks financially.
I do predict though, that in time, live and local will return to terrestrial radio becasue it will HAVE to... well at least for about half of it... The rest will be religious stations.
Bottom line. Media mergers good or bad? B-A-D.
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